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At Munro & Associates, we’ve long emphasized the importance of a vehicle’s foundational design when evaluating innovation, manufacturing decisions, and long-term durability. With the all-electric 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S, Stellantis has unveiled a compelling mix of familiar Jeep DNA and forward-thinking architecture. In this teardown, we explore what’s going on beneath the surface—and there’s a lot to talk about.
Stella Large: A New Multi-Energy Platform
The 2025 Wagoneer S is built on Stellantis’ Stella Large platform. The platform is a multi-energy solution designed for both internal combustion engines and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). What we’re seeing here is a clear sign that Stellantis is preparing for scale and flexibility across powertrains. It’s a smart move for a brand with such a diverse product lineup.
Right off the bat, the exterior tells a subtle story of modern design and functional engineering. The signature seven-slot grille remains. But the headlight layout borrows from recent trends: projector lamps mounted low in the fascia, with the DRLs positioned high to grab visual attention. It’s a setup we’ve seen across the industry—from Hummer to Miata—and signals a shared emphasis on road presence and functional packaging.
A Steel-Strong Foundation
Underneath, the Wagoneer S reveals a highly structured underbody featuring a large stamped steel cradle with multiple mounting planes. The steel structure runs from the front of the vehicle back to the tow board, supporting the drive module via a substantial cross-car beam. Stellantis has chosen stamped steel throughout, for both the front and rear cradles. It’s a notable departure from the aluminum components favored in some competitor EVs.
The choice of steel suggests a strategy focused on high-volume manufacturing, durability, and cost control. While it adds weight, it also reinforces Stellantis’ long-standing tradition of Jeep-level robustness—what we jokingly refer to as “Jeep Tacs.” From extra brackets securing coolant lines to stamped skid plates with rolled edges protecting the battery pack, it’s clear that Jeep’s off-road heritage is still being honored, even in this fully-electric SUV.
Smart Cooling and NVH Control
Jeep has implemented a well-organized cooling strategy, featuring a large manifold and nylon autoclaved lines that support themselves with well-positioned brackets. This ensures minimal vibration or abrasion during operation, even under the intense conditions of Jeep’s durability testing.
The integration of PUR foam around the high-voltage compressor is a particularly interesting noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) countermeasure. Coupled with a thick steel bracket, this setup borrows from tried-and-true strategies seen in legacy brands like Volvo, where multi-material layers are used to silence noisy components.
Advanced Load Path Design
The load paths in the front end borrow lessons from pre-sorb architecture, using upper body structures that slope down to meet motor bay rails—creating robust connections for crash energy absorption. This design reflects a blending of past Chrysler and modern global OEM strategies, now reinforced to meet evolving safety standards.
Additionally, a novel cross-car aluminum extrusion and casting assembly act as a standoff in the event of a front-end impact. It’s similar to what we’ve seen in Rivian and Ford Lightning architectures, where large cast components provide strength while simplifying manufacturing.
MacPherson Simplicity with Thoughtful Touches
The front suspension uses a MacPherson strut layout—an economical choice. Forged aluminum lower control arms and knuckles keep the weight down. Interestingly, Stellantis opted for an F-150-style front axle disconnect system using IEWs (Inner Wheel Ends). Air-actuated, it allows the front drivetrain to fully decouple when not needed, improving efficiency. While slightly more complex and failure-prone over time, it’s a proven design with packaging and weight benefits.
The Battery Pack: Built Tough, Built Big
The Wagoneer’s battery pack is massive—expected for an all-electric vehicle targeting high range while carrying Jeep-level weight. It uses extruded aluminum sections with mechanical fastening that likely involves swaging or toggling. This avoids additional fasteners while enhancing structural integrity. Stamped steel plates reinforce the pack, and there’s excellent high-voltage line protection with neatly routed coolant runs, some even EPDM-wrapped in the rear.
Interestingly, the pack includes components like heat shielding near the firewall that may be legacy features from ICE or hybrid configurations, included for manufacturing simplification rather than need. This highlights a practical side of design—sometimes standardizing parts across platforms wins the business case.
Brake Cooling and Rear Suspension Surprises
Brake cooling ducts in the rear are a premium touch. Air scoops route flow directly to the brakes, suggesting Stellantis anticipates hard use—either from performance demands or weight management. The rear suspension includes a multi-link steel cradle with a disassociated coil and damper setup. While it’s a conventional layout, small details like reinforcement plates and efficient lateral links show attention to strength and cost.
The relatively relaxed arc of the upper camber arms stands out as one curiosity. This suggests careful packaging decisions around Z-height and component clearance. While not as aggressive as seen in some higher-performance vehicles, it’s well-tailored for the expected loads.
A Strategy Rooted in Commonality
From stamped steel cradles to shared cooling components and legacy shielding, the Jeep Wagoneer S reflects a commonization strategy across Stellantis’ growing lineup. Yes, this departs from the more bespoke design language seen in some competitors. But it’s rooted in sound engineering and business rationale. As timelines shrink and manufacturing challenges rise, making smart tradeoffs becomes critical.
Not every feature is revolutionary, but the total package tells a story of thoughtful execution. While it’s easy to get caught up in exotic materials and one-off designs, Stellantis has chosen a path of scalable strength—leaning into what works while keeping one eye on the future.
Final Thoughts
The all-electric Wagoneer S isn’t just a new EV. It’s a declaration that Jeep can evolve without losing its core identity. What we found underneath is a testament to smart design choices, platform flexibility, and a clear roadmap toward mass electric production.
We’re excited to see how this platform evolves. If the upcoming Charger or other Stellantis EVs follow similar cues, we could be looking at a highly adaptable, rugged, and cost-efficient architecture that lives up to both the Jeep legacy and the demands of a rapidly electrifying market.
Stay tuned—there’s more to come.